Back on Track
by imagining.life
Summary: "Pulling up into the driveway, Rick wondered whatever possessed him to let his nine-year-old daughter give him directions." [or a broken GPS AU caskett meeting] *7/29/15 updated Chapter 1 so it's longer!*


**Disclaimer: All characters belong to the Castle writers (unless I'm secretly one :D)**

 **[Written 7/27/15]**

 **Hi everyone! Wow, it's been a while since I've written a story! For those following my other stories, I don't think I'll be continuing those due to some problems:**

 **So first, I stopped writing those at least until the school year was over. Then my laptop crashed and I had to wipe everything so I no longer had the documents for those stories.**

 **Yeah. I won't make that mistake again.**

 **So this story was based off a prompt (forgot where from) where Person A's GPS breaks down and they end up at Person B's house.**

 **Hope you enjoy :)**

Chapter 1:

Squinting out into the foggy night, Rick waited for the dim traffic light to change colors. To his right, his daughter studied the map, tracing the colored lines with a slim, pale finger. Furrowing her brows, Alexis looked up at the street sign in front of her, and then back down at the map.

"Okay, so I think the next light is where you make a right turn."

Stifling a sigh, Rick just nodded his head in exhaustion. The note of uncertainty in his daughter's voice did nothing to make him feel better about their situation.

The red light switched to green, illuminating the air around it. Pressing down on the gas pedal, Rick inched forward, mindful of icy patches hidden by shadows. The road, deserted of any other cars, stretched out ahead of him, winding into the night. The ominous, grey clouds overhead blocked any source of natural light.

After driving for another 10 minutes, Alexis's clear voice pierced the silence they had fallen into.

"Daddy?"

Flicking his eyes from the road to his red-headed daughter, he noticed that the map, originally spread open as wide as it could go, was now folded neatly into a little rectangle resting in Alexis's lap.

"Yes, Pumpkin?" Shifting in her seat, Alexis kept her eyes down, picking at the fraying paper.

"I don't know where we are anymore."

Focusing once again on the road ahead, Rick stayed silent. After the initial hour of driving, he figured his little navigator was hopelessly confused on their location.

Gripping the wheel a little tighter, Rick scanned the land, searching for any signs of life. "Neither do I."

Both of them sat in silence, reflecting on the morning's excitement, wishing they were back in that moment. Little snowflakes began floating down, landing briefly on the car before melting into droplets of water. Alexis leaned against the cold window, watching the flakes float away, as her breath fogged up the glass. "Are we going to be stuck here? In the mountains?"

Rick's heart clenched at the irrational fear in his daughter's voice. Today was supposed to be a fun day spent at the ski lodge, drinking hot coco. Instead, the damn GPS breaks down and leaves them stranded in the middle of nowhere, just as it starts to snow.

"No Pumpkin. Not forever," spotting a distant mailbox, Rick nearly cries out in happiness, "But maybe someone out here can help us."

Pulling up into the remote driveway, Rick sighs in relief when he sees lights spilling out of the house, illuminating the lone car standing sentry.

Turning off the engine, Rick and Alexis sat there in silence, feeling the chill creep into the car, sapping it of any warmth. Snow began falling faster, blurring the haven standing in front of them.

Bracing himself for the cold, Rick pushed open his door, letting a gush of cold air rush into the car. An onslaught of snow and ice met the two travelers, sneaking into the openings of their jackets, chilling their skin.

Making it safely onto the front porch, they both huddled closer together for protection against the biting wind. Brushing the snow off his daughter's head, he couldn't help but chuckle. Wrapped up in a white, puffy jacket, face blocked by a scarf, she looked like a snowman with its head caught on fire.

Another shiver raced through her body, reminding him that his kid was standing in a snow storm in the middle of the night.

Giving her a reassuring squeeze, he raised his hand and knocked lightly on the door. Stepping back, both he and Alexis waited for the owner to appear.

Alexis looked up at him when nobody showed. "Do you think they're sleeping?"

Shrugging, he raised his hand once again, knocking louder this time. Immediately after dropping his hand, the door inched open, revealing a pair of forest green eyes.

Wow.

Watching the snowflakes swirl outside her window, Kate exhaled slowly, watching as her breath fogged up the glass. Steam curled up from her mug, adding its own patter on the clear glass. Lifting the drink up to her lips, she sipped the coffee, humming as it warmed her up from the inside out. The fire crackled merrily behind her, pouring light onto the floor, leaving the rest of the room in darkness.

Tracing her fingers over frost patterns on the window, Kate couldn't help but remember when her mother used to tell her that Jack Frost was behind the dips and swirls in the ice. She also remembered how stubborn she was, claiming that there was no such thing as Jack Frost.

Swirling the now lukewarm coffee around in the cup, Kate tipped the rest of the drink down her throat, unfurling her legs as she made her way to the kitchen. Gracefully, she stood up from her seat, leaving behind nothing but an imprint in the cushion.

Placing the ceramic mug in the sink, she made her way over to her room, intending on hibernating (at least until morning). Just as she was about to cross the threshold of her room, a hesitant knock rang out through the house.

Kate froze, fingers gripping the door in surprise.

 _Who in the world is crazy enough to be out in this weather, at this time?_

Drawing her sweater tighter around her body, she quietly padded across the room, cursing herself for leaving her spare piece in the room.

Placing the chain across the door, Kate slowly inched open the door, and was met with piercing blue eyes, staring sheepishly at her.

No. Freaking. Way.

Clearing his throat, Rick gave the woman in front of him a little half wave.

"Hi. Ummm…sorry to bother you so late."

Green eyes continued to stare at him. She gave no indication of answering and made no move to welcome him or threaten to call the police.

Okay then.

Trying once more, Rick continued. "You see, our GPS broke down on our way to the ski resort and well," laughing lightly, he looked down at Alexis, "I decided to let a nine-year-old navigate."

Referencing his daughter seemed to rouse the woman. She blinked a couple of times, peering around the door to look at Alexis.

"Uh, okay hold on. Let me just…" Trailing off, the woman lightly closed the door. Both Rick and Alexis could hear the chain being removed from the door, before it swung open wide, letting out a rush of warm air.

Leaning against the door frame, the woman scraped her hand through her hair, pulling it out of her face. "Sorry, it's just that you took me by surprise. Nobody ever comes out here."

Flashing her a grin, Rick couldn't help but think that she was gorgeous. His eyes traced her body, finally meeting her eyes. Wide green eyes glared at him, obviously unimpressed with his inspection.

A sharp elbow jabbed into his ribs, causing him to yelp. Alexis glared up at him with her blue eyes, surprisingly intimidating for a child.

"Right, sorry," sticking his hand out, he waited for her to grab it. "My name's Rick. And this is Alexis."

Dropping his hand, she continued to study him.

"Kate."

The woman with the guarded green eyes.

 _And thereby hangs a tale._ _  
_

Richard freaking Castle was on her porch. What are the odds?

Kate stood there, staring at him. He awkwardly apologized for disturbing her night and then fell silent, waiting for her to say something. When she made no move to answer, he continued to explain himself. When he mentioned his daughter with a half-smile, Kate snapped out of her surprise. Here she was, hiding behind the door while making Richard Castle and his daughter stand outside in the cold.

"Uh, okay hold on. Let me just…" Letting her sentence hang, Kate closed the door, taking a moment to compose herself. Taking a deep breath, she told herself to stop overthinking it and just help them. Removing the chain from the door, she swung the door open and leaned against the door frame. Light spilled onto their faces, highlighting the exhaustion etched into their faces.

Running her hand through her hair, Kate pushed the strands out of her face. "Sorry, it's just that you took me by surprise. Nobody ever comes out here."

No response came. Instead, his eyes were trailing over her body, slowly perusing their way up to her face. When blue eyes met green, she glared at him, right as a tiny elbow shot out to jab him. Watching the girl glare at her father, Kate stifled a laugh.

"Right, sorry," sticking his hand out, he waited for her to grab it, "my name's Rick. And this is Alexis."

Swallowing the 'I know' that almost forced its way out of her mouth, Kate dropped her hand while watching the blue eyes study her.

"Kate."

 **ALL REVIEWS ARE APPRECIATED :) Thanks for reading!**


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